Encounters and Farewells
by StarProphecy7279
Summary: Edward Elric wasn't always the hot-headed, heroic jerk we all know and love. There was a time when he disliked girls, loved his father, and had never even heard of alchemy. A cute story illistrating Ed's early relationship with his father, Winry, and Al.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own EVERYTHING! Except what I wrote....

A/N: This story takes place in the mangaverse. Ed and Winry are four, Alphonse is three. Enjoy.

* * *

"Edward, can you come out here please?"

Edward Elric looked up from the thin, paperback book he'd been reading at the sound of his mother's voice, his big, gold eyes cast in the direction of the open front door from whence his mother's voice had issued.

"Edward!"

"Coming!" he shouted back. The young boy marked his spot in the book and jumped down off the sofa to answer his mother's call.

"Hi, Mommy," Edward said hugging Trisha Elric's leg tightly once he had found her on the front porch.

"Hello, my little man," Trisha said giving her eldest son an affectionate pat on his blonde head. "There's some people here I want you to meet."

Edward hadn't noticed until now that his mother was not alone: A married couple by appearance was looking down at Edward with smiles on their faces. Standing slightly behind the woman was a little girl with big blue eyes and blonde hair, holding tightly to the woman's hand. She turned slightly red when Edward looked at her and moved to hide more of herself behind whom Edward thought must be her mother. He too felt himself growing shy and clutched his mother's skirt, seeking comfort.

"Wow, Ed, you've certainly gotten big," the man said leaning down slightly to get a better look at him.

Edward beamed; he loved it when people told him he'd grown.

"He's still a bit small for his age though, isn't he?" The woman asked Trisha.

"Hey, I'm not small!" Edward said furiously.

The woman looked down at him and chuckled.

"No, of course you're not," she said smiling at the angry, young boy.

Edward pouted.

"Edward this is Auntie Sara and Uncle Riley," said Trisha.

"Hi."

"And that little cutie is Winry," said Trisha, gesturing to the little girl hiding behind Sara.

"Say 'hi' Winry," Sara said pushing the little girl out from behind her.

Winry looked at Edward for a moment, her vibrant, blue eyes wide before looking down at her feet and smiling shyly.

"Hi," she said to the ground.

Edward took a step to the side to hide behind Trisha.

"Oh, don't be shy Ed," said Trisha. "You've met Winry before."

Edward looked up at his mother in confusion.

"The Rockbells used to live with Granny Pinako but they had to move to Central just after Al was born. You and Winry used to play together."

"I played with a _girl_?"

The adults all laughed at this question. Edward couldn't see what was so funny and neither, by the look of it, could Winry: she looked up at him sharply, a scowl on her face, all shyness forgotten.

"What's wrong with playing with girls?" she asked, defiantly.

"Girls are weird," Edward said, his small nose wrinkling in apparent disdain. "All they do is giggle."

"Not all girls. Your mom's a girl."

Edward looked up at his mother before stamping his foot in frustration and glaring at Winry.

"Nuh-uh!"

The adults thought that was _really_ funny.

"Alright you two, that's enough," Trisha said calmly. "Ed, we're going over to Granny Pinako's for dinner. Will you go tell your father to get ready while I get your brother up from his nap?"

"Yeah, where is he?"

"In his study."

"Okay," Edward ran back into the house and up the stairs to his father's study, knocking softly on the door as he was required to do before entering this room.

"Come in," came the exhausted voice of Von Hohenheim.

Edward opened the door and peered into the small, cluttered office. His father was sitting at his desk, his face buried in his hands. Several thick volumes were strewn across the desk as well as crumpled pieces of paper with illegible scribbles written on them in Hohenheim's hand. Hohenheim had been in here a lot recently, and he always appeared to be tired and sad. Edward had noticed this and, a few weeks ago, asked his father what was wrong but Hohenheim had simply smiled at him and responded, "Just some grown up things. You needn't worry." But Edward still wondered what had his father so frustrated.

"What'cha doing?" Edward asked entering the room cautiously, taking care not to step on the books that were left on the floor.

Hohenheim looked around, the gold eyes both Edward and his younger brother Alphonse had inherited clouded with tiredness behind oval glasses.

"Oh, hello, Edward," he said, scratching off-handily at the thick, golden whiskers that grew from his chin. "I'm just studying."

Edward moved over to his father and crawled into his lap.

"'Studying'?" he repeated, having never heard this word before.

"I'm trying to learn some more," said Hohenheim running a hand over his smooth blond hair, held back in a ponytail and closing the book he'd been taking notes from. Edward squinted at the title, attempting to comprehend what it said.

"Ad…ven…ad…. Daddy, what's this word?"

Hohenheim glanced down at the word Edward was pointing at.

"Advanced."

"What's that mean?"

"If you're advanced at something you're very good at it. For example, we could say you're an advanced reader for your age."

Edward grinned at his father with pride before looking back down at the book and attempting to decipher the rest of the title?

"Al… alchew--"

"Hard C," Hohenheim corrected gently.

"Alc…alchem…alchem-yah."

"What sound does Y make at the end of a word?"

"An 'E' sound?"

Hohenheim nodded.

"Al…chem…y. Alchemy. Advanced Alchemy."

Edward looked up at his father. "What's alchemy?"

"It's the science of understanding the structure of matter, breaking it down, and reconstructing as something else," Hohenheim responded promptly.

Edward stared at his father blankly.

"It… is basically taking one thing and changing it into another."

Edward's golden eyes widened in awe.

"Turning something into something else? That's like magic!"

"Not quite," Hohenheim said grinning. "Alchemy is a science. It's bound by the laws of nature. The basis of alchemy is Equivalent Exchange."

"Equi…equ…equivil—what's that?"

"All gain requires sacrifice. If you want to create something, you have to be willing to give something up. Alchemists are limited by the materials they start with. You can't create something from nothing. The effects of insufficient materials in a transmutation can be disastrous."

"But it's _cool_," said Edward, who hadn't been able to comprehend a word his father had just spoken to him. "Can you teach me, Daddy? Please?"

Hohenheim looked into his son's gold eyes, bright with excitement and hope, and smiled.

"Maybe when you're older."

Edward's face fell with disappointment.

"Aww."

That was one of Ed's least favorite things to hear, Hohenheim knew. Edward wanted to be a grown-up so badly it was funny. But as intelligent as his son was, alchemy would be too complex for him, at least for the time being.

"Was there something you wanted?" Hohenheim asked.

"Mommy says we're going to Granny's and you should start getting ready."

"Okay, go tell her I will."

"Alright."

Edward jumped off his father's lap but before running off he hugged his father's leg tightly.

"Bye, Daddy," and off he ran.

Hohenheim watched his son go with a horrible mix of emotions coiling in his chest. The thought of his son wanting to learn the science he'd dedicated so much of his own life to was wonderful and—if this really held Ed's interest—Hohenheim knew Edward could become a great alchemist some day. The possibility alone made his heart burst with pride. And yet….

Hohenheim loved alchemy. Alchemy had been the thing that had freed him from the life of a slave all those years ago. He owed his freedom and the mind he now had to it. But alchemy had also been the thing to make him what he was now: a monster. Because of the powers of alchemy an entire country had been whiped out, every last citizen killed in a single night. It was because of alchemy that he'd been forced to see so many of his friends die and that he may one day have to watch his wife and even his children meet the same fate.

No. He wouldn't allow that to happen. He would, under no circumstances, allow himself to outlive his family. He'd grow old with his wife and die before his sons had the chance to. No matter what it took, he'd find the answer. He just hoped he'd be able to find it _here_.

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A/N: I should end it here before I try to change the ending. Again. Ugh.

GAH! Why did I use so much dialogue?! I feel like a noob looking at the document. Almost every paragraph is one line! GAH!

Anyway, I'm thinking Winry may have a little bit of a crush on Ed. Not sure if Ed feels the same way but… well let's face it. He will eventually. ;^)

Reviews and comments are always welcome. ^_^ thanks for taking the time to read.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the wait. It took me a while to actually bring this to a place I was okay with. It's still not as good as I was hoping it would be. Anyway, I'm dedicating this chapter to my little cousin from whom I stole Al's speech issue. It's a gift from Cousin "Ashwey". ;^)

A year had passed since the Rockbells had left Central City behind and moved back to their hometown of Resembool. In that time, Edward had grown out of his "Girls-are-Icky" phase and he and Alphonse now regarded Winry as something like a sister, though Winry's father amused himself by insisting it was a different kind of affection in regards to Edward and Winry. Alphonse had learned to read and his speech had improved greatly in the last year, though he still couldn't pronounce his L's. ("Al, what's your whole name?" "Awphonse Ewric." ) Edward and Winry had both turned five and Alphonse's fourth birthday was just around the corner. Yes, much had changed in the time that had passed but one thing had remained more or less the same: Van Hohenheim was as distant from his family as ever.

Sometimes Edward heard his parents talking at night when they thought he and his brother were asleep. He couldn't comprehend much of what was being said but he could tell from the tone of their voices whatever it was they were discussing had both of them deeply upset. Edward began to fear something bad would soon descend upon his family. He knew something was bothering both of his parents but whenever he asked his mother about it, she simply smiled and said it was nothing for him to worry about.

But Edward _was_ worried. He was seeing less and less of his father nowadays and, though he always tired to hide it, everyone around could tell Hohenheim was deeply troubled by something. He spent almost all of his time shut in his study reading alchemy books and looking through his old notes. Edward began to think there was little more his father would _ever_ be able to learn about alchemy. He was wrong.

"That bastard," Edward heard his father mutter one evening after opening his office door to retrieve him for dinner. Hohenheim was looking at a map of Amestris, a pen in his hand. It looked like he had drawn something on it but Edward couldn't see what from where he was standing.

"It's just like before… No… it's even bigger than that. He's planning something terrible."

"Daddy?"

Hohenheim jumped and turned to see who had spoken.

"Edward," Hohenheim said, taking off his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I forgot to knock."

"That's alright," Hohenheim said turning back to his desk and folding up the map.

Edward took a few tentative steps toward his father. Looking up into his exhausted face, he wondered again what had his him so stressed. When Hohenheim noticed him looking, he smiled. Edward could tell it wasn't real.

"Did you want something?" Hohenheim asked.

Edward shuffled his feet nervously.

"Um… Daddy?"

"Yes?"

Edward looked into his father's bloodshot, gold eyes.

"Why are you sad?"

Hohenheim seemed taken aback by this question.

"You always seem so sad and tired. And I heard you talking to Mommy last night and you called yourself a monster. But that's just silly. Mommy says monsters aren't real so you can't be one so don't be sad, okay?"

Hohenheim looked down at his son in mild confusion for a moment before chuckling sadly and motioning for Edward to sit on his lap. Edward did so.

"Oh, Ed," Hohenheim said, hugging his son tightly, "you're such a smart boy." He sighed, sadly.

Edward—though confused as to why his father was hugging him—was pleased with the praise. He felt his father's grip on him tighten and his breath shorten.

"It may be hard for you to understand at times, Edward," Hohenheim muttered, combing his fingers through Ed's hair, "but don't ever forget that I love you and your mother and brother very much."

Now Edward was _really_ confused. What would ever cause him to forget this fact? His father told them this all the time. Why should he ever forget it? Why should any if them?

Hohenheim held him there for what felt like a long time. Edward couldn't understand what was going on. He had wanted to help but it did not seem like he had done much good. Well, if hugging him made his father feel better, Edward was fine with it. Though… he wasn't sure why it had to be so long.

"Guys! Dinner!" Trisha called from the kitchen.

"Be right there!" Hohenheim called back. "Come on, Ed," he added, wiping his eyes beneath his glasses. "Let's go."

"Uh… okay."

Edward jumped down off his father's lap and Hohenheim took his hand as they walked to the kitchen. Edward glanced up at his father and noticed his eyes were puffy and slightly reddened. It almost looked like he had been crying. But that was just silly, Edward knew; grown ups didn't cry.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Brother?"

"What?"

"I gotta pee."

"Go by yourself."

"But it's stiww dark out."

"So?"

"So the ghosts are stiww out."

"There's no such thing as ghost, dummy."

"Yeah-huh. They ate my birthday cake yesterday."

"That was Den."

"Pwease, brother? I reawy gotta go."

Edward rolled over in bed to look at his younger brother. He was standing with his legs crossed in front of Edward's bed, a pleading look on his face. Edward gave an agitated sigh.

"You _really_ bug me sometimes," he said grudgingly rolling out of bed and stepping into the early morning chill.

"Hurry up," Edward said rubbing his eyes.

"'Kay," said Alphonse.

Edward nearly fell asleep while he waited against the wall outside the bathroom for his brother. When Alphonse exited the room, Edward took his hand and led him, eyes closed, down the hall. It was not until he heard his parents' voices that he realized he had, in his sleepy daze, gone in the wrong direction, heading towards the front door instead of back to their bedroom.

"What are you boys doing up so early?" Trisha asked when she saw them.

"Al hadda pee," Edward said through a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Oh, so you were taking care of your brother?" Trisha said kneeling down in front of her boys. "Thank you, Ed," she added, ruffling his hair in affection.

Edward laughed sleepily and grinned at his mother. It was not until then that he noticed his father standing in the doorway, a suitcase in his hand. He looked up expecting to see his father smiling at him like he always did when he saw him or Alphonse. To his surprise, however, instead of a warm smile, Edward looked up to see his father's face twisted into a cold, indifferent glare.

Edward took a step back from the icy look on his father's face. Had he done something to upset him?

"Goodbye," said Hohenheim. And he turned and walked out of the open front door closing it behind him with a loud snap. Edward wondered vaguely where he was going but was too tired to contemplate too far.

"Come on, boys," Trisha said softly. "Back to bed."

"'Kay," Edward and Alphonse said together. And their mother took their hands and led them back to their room.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When Edward got up again later that morning, the first thing he did was peek into his parents' room. He had remembered the look on his father's face earlier in the morning and was hoping to find out why it had been there. However, when Edward opened the door, he found the room empty.

_He must be in having breakfast,_ Edward thought.

But Edward didn't see his father when he entered the kitchen either.

"Good morning, Ed," Trisha said, brightly.

"'Morning, Brother."

"Hi," said Ed. He paused for a moment. "Hang on."

He turned on his heel and hurried up the stairs to Hohenheim's study, rapping softly on the door. There was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time. Still no answer. He turned the knob cautiously, cracking the door slightly, to peek inside. The room was dark.

"Daddy?" Edward called, pulling the door open.

The room was empty.

_Oh, I remember now,_ Edward thought. _He had a suitcase. He must be on a trip._

Wondering where his father had gone, Edward ran back downstairs to the kitchen and sat at the table next to his brother.

"Hello again," said Trisha, with a laugh. "Ready for breakfast?"

"Yeah. Mommy?" Edward added as she set a plate of eggs down in front of him.

"Hmm?" She said turning back to the counter.

"Where's Daddy?" Edward saw his mother stiffen suddenly. It looked like she was in pain. (2)

"He left," Trisha said, quietly.

Edward squinted at his mother's back. Why was she so upset? He knew she would miss his father while he was away but he wouldn't be gone very long, would he?

"When wiww he be back?" Alphonse asked.

Trisha hesitated with her back to the boys before she turned to them, smiling, and laughed.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle," she said moving over to tickle Alphonse who giggled.

"He'll be back before you know it," she said before kissing Alphonse softly on the forehead.

But, although his mother often told them it was wrong to lie, Edward couldn't shake off the ridiculous feeling that she wasn't being completely honest.

A/N: 1. Ed was probably only there for a minute or two. He's five so it seemed longer to him.

2. She is in pain. Just not the kind Ed was thinking of. Poor Trisha.

So there it is. This chapter didn't turn out as good as I was hoping. Not in the least. So if you would be willing to take the time to review, I would be forever grateful. Constructive critiques are always appreciated. And as always, thanks so much for reading!


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